Details About Compound Bows

By Billy Smith

There are different kinds of bows used for different purposes such as hunting, free range, target, competition archery, or leisure. One of these bows is the compound bow. A compound bow is categorized as a modernized bow. The materials used in this bow are non-conventional than those of the more traditional bows.

The compound bow is a modern bow, which is made from materials known for its durability and reliability. As this is modernized, it has gone beyond the use of the traditional wood and lamb skin materials. This particular bow uses cables and pulleys to create a levering system. This will enable the bow to retain more amounts of energy, which is then transferred to the arrow creating a more forceful shot when the limbs are bent and the string is drawn.

The riser or the central mount is nowadays made from aircraft grade aluminum alloy or magnesium alloys, and in some case, a combination of both. The riser is where the sights, stabilizers, quivers and limbs are connected. The limbs are made from composite materials allowing it to withstand the stress from the stored energy from drawing the bow; this is where all the energy goes to without leaving tension to the cable and the pulleys.

The compound bow's strings are made from high-modulus polyethylene, which provides minimal stretchability and stress to the cables when it is drawn and heaps of energy is transferred to the arrow with ideal efficiency and stability. The arrows have also evolved from the usual wood; it is now made from carbon or aluminum alloys. This enables the arrow to have great strength and durability for it to withstand the pressure and the amount f energy transferred without breaking itself and in result creating a potential hazard to the archer.

The key factor in the acceleration and accuracy of the arrow is the cam or the pulley. The advantage of which is that it enables the archer to set their preferred walls and draw lengths or points; this is vital as this will help determine the archer's consistency in their draw point and their accuracy.

The compound bows possess a characteristic unique from other bows as it is affected by humidity and temperature change at a minimal to a non-existent degree. This provides the archer to still be able to retain their distance and accuracy regardless of the drop or increase in temperature.

As with most other things, there are certain advantages as well as disadvantages to the compound bow. For instance, the compound bow has a lower holding weight thus making it susceptible to faults particularly when the archer has done a full draw; this makes the bow prone to left-right errors. On the other hand, the use of magnifying sights, dampers and stabilizers are permitted solely to the compound bows in a number of tournaments and competitions and not the same rule applies to any other classification. - 31499

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